"The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by Edgar Allan Poe is a very interesting short story written in 1845. It is a fictional story that features the experiments done by a mesmerist. The story is written in way that captivates the reader. The language and style of writing is used to a specific end by Poe. There are many different ways that the reader can interpret the story line and vivid linguistics used by Poe. This detailed analysis will take a close look at the story's message, the writing style, and overall theme of "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." 

At the time this story was written, mesmerism was a very controversial topic. At the time his short story was published, it was not classified as fictional or nonfictional. Why Poe did wrote this way open to interpretation but one reason might be that he wanted his readers to ponder this. He was known for his literary hoaxes and this may or may not be one of them. An aspect to support the story being based on a nonfictional account is the way the story is told. The narrator tells the story with confidence and even references 'medical records'. Another detail from the story that makes it seem like an account of actual events is the extremely detailed background that the narrator gives his friend and patient M. Ernest Valdemar. The fact that this event is not documented anywhere else might be evidence that the story is fictional.

The way that Poe used certain words and descriptions created underlying messages in the story. One specific example of this is Poe's focus on the eyes of M. Valdemar is very interesting. Throughout the short story he uses several different ways to describe the eyes and especially the way they controlled themselves, "the eye-lids unclosed themselves"(Poe 16) and "the eyes rolled themselves slowly open"(Poe 17) These two examples that are written in way to support the validity of mesmerism. Mr. P- documents the eye movements as if the eyes were in control, this fact and the way he words it attracts the reader even more. It creates a mesmerizing effect because it forces us to stay and keep reading and makes us wonder who or what is in control. The way Poe describes the eyes throughout the story makes them seem of the upmost importance. William Shakespeare once said that "The Eyes are the window to the soul", which supports the idea that Poe is conveying. This again draws the reader in and makes us wonder what is really going in there, is his soul still within his body or did Mr. P- manage to mesmerize the soul instead of the body? Mr. P- was at first unsuccessful on the first attempt to relieve M. Valdemar from being mesmerize until a "partial descent of the iris" (Poe 19), could this be a sign that the door to his soul was opening? In the next line Mr. P- says that a "profuse out-flowing of a yellowish ichor...of a pungent and highly offensive odor" (Poe 19), is this telling us that the body is dead, captivating our imaginations. The reader is left to wonder if the soul is really what was mesmerized and as soon as it was relieved, the soul left and the body immediately decayed because the soul was just holding on the body, keeping it there as a vessel because it could not leave. 

Throughout the story, Poe uses passive language to tell "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. The entire story is told like a coroner giving testimony in a court of law. The formations, patterns, and phrases used are that of a governmental report of the time. The way that the story invites the reader in, the way it draws our attention. This is the perfect way to write his 'report' to relate to the overall theme of the text, it was meant to state the facts and it did, it stated the facts in a most interesting way. 

Through his writing style, Poe drew us in to a simple stating of the facts while sticking to the meaning and complete subject in "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." Poe tells us of a miraculous story, whether true or not, about the mesmerist that managed to hypnotize a soul through the eyes. Poe's use of wording and syntax makes us raise many questions. The story, the way it was told and the wording used makes readers ask the question: is it actually a fictional story or secret way of telling the truth, which is for us to decide.   

Poe, Edgar A. "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." The Carolina Reader. Fall 2014 ed. USC Dept. of English. Plymouth: Hayden McNeil, 2014. 13-19.
